The Sun. — London, England, 1808-11-22 00:00:00

Mai LS. Azitz v 235 —3 AT aterfqrd. Du E-2 GotteOurith i '1 Mal a, a Dublin, s,Waterford. , PRICE OF STOCKS THIS*DA Y AT TWELV O'CLOCK. CO::5016 - 6611 Red. Ann. - 661 H g SIJ N. ITS -4M QUIS Diet** 74LSUid AUDEAT ? LONDON, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1800, Rumours were in circulation last night, that Intel ligence of a very unfavourable nature had been receiv ed from Corunna. It was stated that accounts had been received at that place ?f a Battle haying been fought in Navarre, in . which Gen. CASTANOS hick been defeated and wounded; and that theFreuch had re-crossed the Ebro. We cannot take upon ourselves to say that• such a• report might not be circulated at Corunpa ; but we _know that no accounts of :telt an event had reached it iu any authentic shape, government have not received any such intelligence, and vie have )ittle doubt that the report is wholly without foundation. We have too.ofteii had - occasion to notice the in, 4ecent attemptS'wh.!ch.hav'e . been made in the op position Prints to bring disgrace on the Officers con , .cerned in. the Convention Of Chard,' and we - have noticed before the accusations- and recriminations *hi - eh those Papers are now casting on each other, though - they are in fa& all equally 'culpable. The truth is, that they are conscious .of their guilt, but none of them have liberality etiongh to apologise for their cond4l, and therefore they hope to tie ceive. • the public, .by eharges against each other.— A Morning .Paper which ;had been •misled y the njudicibuS zeal of 'the friends of one of the Offi cers concerned in -the Convention; came for ward yesterday, in a manly way, and expressed its regret that . it. should have- been so far deceived. ThiS_:honotyable testiMony '.of regret .has induced' another Paper to intimate. that the names of the •• . Parties who had been the authors of this deception, `should be.communicated to the world. ,But will the Paper which makes this intimation' disclose the names of thole who have with •sO much rancour at lacked not only S..r ARTHUR WELLESLEY, but all liis family, as' well as Sir. HEW DALRYMPLE, and .. Sir HARRY BURRARD? But .the Opposition . Prints • seem- now disposed 'to abate of their rancorous per sonality With respea to the authors of the Con vention, and begin to' See the Convention itself in a' new light. - They may, accuse their conipeti torS, ;Int hoc.; w:ll they justify thernielves I It is impotsiblefor them.to, do so—and they must sub , m k t to the contempt.and indignation of the Public, for theirfpers..:vering malevolence. It is curious enough to find.crie of the-Papers alluded-to saying, in reference to the Armistice, that Govern ment . . • onght not, fur Want of explanation, " to havesuf .feted t.r,ze Country to persecute, by its indignation, an individual for hot availing bitpself of a superiority that alually did ,not exist."- This, is a dextrous, at .tempt to shift its own guilt upon llae Country at large. 4 ! .4 it is a libel' upop the Country. The sreat majority of Englishntep are too just, too libe ral, and have too much good sense, to prejudge matters that'are to undergo due inquiry, and never can ; they persecute those whose defence is unheard. ~But 'Ministers, as well as the Authors of the con : •-• vention, have had their full share of abuse from the Oppo , itiOn Papers, and particularly on the charge of not havingSerit forces to Spain. We did not intend to comment on the proceeding; of the Court of In quiry, bat we may be permitted to repel this unjust • Charge against Ministers, by a reference to the state ment Of Sir ARTHUR WELLEst.,Y, who declares, • that '•when lie was at Corunna in July, he tendered the Army under his command to the Junta of Gal ' licia; who decl tied the offer, alledging, that the , 'ajaariiard's theinselves had adopted effeClual means for drbing the ,French out of St. Andero, and Strongly eithotting Sir ARTHUR WELLESLEY to pro ceed to Portugal, in order to force the Enemy out of that Kingdom. It is indeed hardly necessary. for us to dwelt on the ab s urdities and calumnies of • th'e Opposition' Prints, 'as they are so 'evidently go- , . .by party-sp i r it, ,to use the mildest terms, bqt more, particularly as 'they are now so properly employed in exposing the fully and .guilt of 'each .• • • other. An entire regiment of Swiss, that was in the ser,' lice . 01 p'r'ance, found means to desert 'after the Convention in Portugal"; They escaped from on tuard the transports in small parties,,and at length made application to the 'BritiA f... , 'ornroanddr;otrer- - - irig . to enlist in the service of England.. -. They'hid ,forined part .t , f the garrison of Elya's, are all'hn e young men, from 'lB 'Co 25 years of :age, and are abOut Duo in number; reinainiag out of 440(4 who pas•sed the Pyrenees a twelvemonth age. •' They Were at length , received on board 4ritish transpOrts, and arrived at Portsmouth on'Sataeday last. • ' His Acly . al Hi(tic e_as the Duke of ,C4r e lßltzp6E 1 1t rent n ytistet day tor Wi)fltior;*qa a Visit to . tliir-Ma. .0 ✓JTIEC4 NEyv#. PLYIVIOUTir, Noy. 26.—Sailed the Orestes, Plo-ril • ver, and Scorpion S loops l of War, having on board 4; the „crew of the lifincliar Castle, .for. Portstuouth : ::;.), ,Came into ? Harbour the Shannon frigate to refit: Arrived the Liberty Transport from off L'Oricnt, fiaving on s board the cargoes of three grench,Chasse Marees, lately destroyed by the Saturn, of 7 guns: ArriVed the Prig Hesslavood, W. B. Fowuta Master, from Malta and Gibraltar, ladeh with cur xants, pd, &c. bouna to Portsmouth, put in for con - voy, and to refit, having carried away her main boom and gaff, and split .her sails, in the late tem pestuous gales. • PORTSMOUTH, NOV. 11.-- Arrived His lyfalesty's Ships L'4imaoe, I?esistance, Scorpion, Plover, Mac harell, Diomede, aiid Black Joke` Lugger, from the Westward; also His Majesty's Ship - Standard from Gibraltar: 4rriven the Clinker, Dart, and London Packet, from Gibraltar; George, Ferrell,, from Chep. stow ; George Pain, -, and Friends, Kent, from Tenby ; Hope, A3urrell, Brothers, lenningi, Dispatch, Dallin, froin Bristol,; Mary, Braclburn, William and Thomas, Evena7 from Waterford; Lively, Morris, from Carmarthen; Hope Rippe, Fowey ;' and Mary, Watkins, froM Dublin; Betsey, Wedge, Airstrea, Harden, and Britannia, Lewis, from Co. Sailed His-Majesty's Ship 41ticore on a cruize ; 41iza Aiin, Cot, for London ; and the Twins,. Lsat = DEL, for' Sunderland. Put t back the. Schooner Venus, LESTEE Master, bound to Cadiz, having lost both anchors and cables in Torbaj, iu a gale of wind, on the 18th inst. DEAL,. Nov. s..q.—Arrived his. Majesty's Ship Kangaroo from a cruize, and has brought in 'with her a large French Plivateer out from Calais iester day, ' at 2 P. M. anti was captured off Duogeness, at 10 P. M. Arrived his AlajWy's Ship Petter, from Cork, witia a Convoy, which . are sailed for the River; also the Princess Mary; HUTCHINSON, from St. Do- Win&o. SNEERN,EBB, Nov. 2 t.--Went up to tong Beach his Majesty's Ship Goliath., Capt. PUGET, to get, her powder and guns out. This morning his Majesty's Ship the Crescent was paid up to six months. Came down the River the Malabar Store•ship. Arrived his Majesty's Ship Hakim from Chat harn. SeVeral Sail have passed the Nore for the River, which appeal' to be Colliers; aitct ieveral have sailed. Sailed 'alsci Dvbiesty's Ship ginchels'ea, outward- HASTINGS, N0v.:8.--A. shark has been caught by the tiiherinen at ;ut place it NV as entangled in 'l7 of then nets and colopleteiy . - broke then.] ail ; but wponded, and Licari)! :spetit,'Ou contrived to tow on shore this monster of the deep. It Men, sures thirty feet in length, and upwards of twenty in circumference, and is suppOsed to weigh at lea.t len ton ; has four rows of;st-etit, and the throat is so large, that it could swallow a man with the-greatest ease. It is considered by all who have seen it to be the largest.of the species:ev e r met with in any of the seas of Europe. Colonel Bothwell has purchased it for his. friend, Mr. Home, the Surgeon, of Sack -1011e -street, who intends to . dissed it,' and place the . skeleton in his museum. GIBRALTAR, OCT, 2 1 .—News have been received here from Corsica, that five French Frigates, . which had got dut of Toulon a few days before, were block., aded in San Fiorenz6. Th ey were f u ll o f troops and provisions, destined for the relief of Barcelona, and having been chased by the English, were obliged to take refuge in tha port above-mentioned. The Mas ter of the vessel which brought the news states, that if the Frigates do not,. itntnediately surrender, they cannot escape being destroyed by the seven English ships which blockade, them. Capt. FREEMANTLE and Capt. BAYNTUN, who Were deputed to see the Monument erected on Ports down Hill, to the memory 'of Lord NELSON, pro perly executed, inspected it.last week, and are satis fied that the wishes of the Fleet have been complied with. They have given directions for the following inscription to be put on: Consecrated to the niernory of Lord Viscount Nelson, by the zealous attachment of all those who fought at Tra falgar—to .perpetuate his triumph and their regret. —1205." • - And on the opposite side the following : .• " The British Fleet consisted of 2 7 Ships of the Line;—of France and Spain, there were 33-19 of which were taken or destroyed." The Aigie, Capt. WOLFE, reconnoitred Brest liar . - hour the 9th instant, anc4 observed nine sail of the line ready for sea (one a three-decker); - besides three frigates, a brig, two schooners, and a cutter. There was no Court of Aldermen to-day ; but the LORD MAYOR ordered - Bread to continue at its present price. • A Leiter from Madrid, Nov. 4, says, "The King, our Sovereign, D. FERDINAND VII, and the Central Supreme Junta of Government, in his name, taking into consideration the distinguished merits, services, experience, and talents of Lieut.-General D. Tnom AS DE MORLA, Counsellor of State, have been pleased to appoint him Dire&or and Colonel-General of the !loyal porps of Artillery of Spain and the Inches, in addition to the rank and appointments which he now holds." Last weels., the workmen in cleansing sow- of the ancient seweisi near the Cross-Path, 'met with a few Roman doing, amiangst which is one of the q.',inperpr VEsrAs.ial , F, in eis.cellent preservqtioni the head and inscription almost as sift:4 as of kno4eril (late, ~;,,,,~ . LVQVIR.Y. iiroußTH DAY,- bioND:AY 1./oV.ll'. Matintee:i from o'er Paper tf lestria i rty, - • Sir Airrn:Uß observed that if the Court desired to , haveyeny part . of the narrative illustrated, he was 'feridji, to explain immediately; Or to call evidence. ,„ . The JUDGE ADVOCATE hext.read-a_s_oumber questions' on the subjed of the narrative, which had 'been' Sent hi witting to Sir A. Wellesley, by the -Presiclent,,Sir D. Dundas, and which had been re turned by Sir A: with his answers alli.xeci to Them. The first question was, when he had his'orders and instrUdions ? The answer was,' that he ,had 'been advised of his appointment to the command, by'a dispatch frdm the Comrinander in Chief, dated the lath of June, and afterwards by the Secretary of the War Department, on . the 3oth. To aquestion, When he sailed—he answered; that he had arrived at Cork on the 6th of July, and had sailed thes2th, with 9000 men, besides artillery, and cavalry, and 298 horses. To a qhestion, what were his or ders, 'and what the objeCls, of . his expedition—Cie answered, that his 'orders were contained in the do, cuments before the Court, and in the dispatches to the Secretary of State; he had copies, the original's had been delivered to Sir Harry Burrard ; the-prin cipal obje& was to attack the enemy in their posi tions .on the Tagus ; but, he had a discretionary power to apply his force to other objeEts, in case he should -consider them to be most 'material for the public service. • To the other questionshe replied, . that the particulars of his proceedings, till he arrived in Mondego Bay, were detailed in his narrative: and his dispatches, 'and the reasons -that determined his landing there, were also explained in his dispatches and narrative: He heard on his arrival at the Bay ; on- the 30th of July, that the army tas to be rein forced by troops under the command of Generals Acland, B.urrard, and Moore, and that he had orders dated 2ist.of July, desiring him to give notice by ships of war, where he was to be found ; but to proceed to execute the purpOse of his expedition im mediately,•if he - thought himself sufficiently strong. He was joined on the sth o f A ugust b y G enera l Spencer—the obis& of his march were stated in his narrative and dispatches. The numbers then under his command were 12,300 . men, and be was accorn 7 -partied by a Portuguese army of 6000, under Gene- rah Freire; also by 1500 Spanish infantry, and about the same number Of.Poiluguese troops who had- moved towards Abrantes. The details of his pro gress were to be found ip his- narrative add' dis patches. His army was supplied Oil his march with -biscuit, fresh 'meat, and wine; the Fast article was procured from the country. ,The Bishop of Oporto supplied them with cattle) but he had engaged'a contrador for thatpurpose,rn case the other resource should have failed. On his arrival at Calmas, he had a brigade of nine-pounders, and a brigade of six.; pounders. The expedition had been at first designed for the coast of Spain ; • but as the landing was uncer tain, it had been thought proper to employ Irish horses, purchased at low prices, lest the artillery horses should suffer by being so long on board. These Irish horses were not so good as the artillery horses; -298 of them had been embarked; some of these were lost ; but 20 mules were furnished by the Bishop of Oporto. Notwithstanding ,the heaviness of the roads, and the heat of theyeather, they got on Very well.. They had plenty Of ammunition, and to :spare. Every soldier had 60 roends. _ There were go mules; with 2000 rounds each ; and there were .5000 in. the carts. On the 16th of August they had 14 days bread; and by contract they ought to have had three days fresh meat. This contract was riot thltilled to the meet ; but the supply was regular. They had wine in every village. - Tney depended on their ships for bread, and therefore marched along the coast. He thought the number of the French about 16,000 men, as stated in his narrative, but Laborde said .they were not that number. The first time he met with any opposition from the enemy was on the 17th. His proceedings till the victory at Vimtera were detailed in his dispatches. He had no , detailed account of the positions of the enemy at Torres Vedras. His intentions were to have turned the positions of the enemy at Torres Vedras. The army was supplied with bread from the fleet. They had nine days bread on the 21st. The ammunition speht in the action had been replaeed, and was in as complete a state as at Calmas. The enemy spent the evening o: 'the 21st in forming again, and en deavouring to regain Torres Vedras. The French army had 1200 cavalry, at the battle of Vimiera ; the British only 210, besides 260 Pot tuguese cavalry. Lord MOIRA then observed, that he hoped that whatever questiolis the Court might feel it their duty to put, they would be received in that spirit in which they were didated—that of unfeigned re sped for every Officer connected with the service in question. Their object was to perform their duty to their Sovereign and the country, which was to be done by attaining the ends of substantial justice. With that view alone, he wished to put a few' ques tions to Sir Aithur Wellesley.: At th e same ti m e , if there werepity that Sir Arthur wished to decline ans,vering, he would exercise 'his discretion, and no inference against him would be draWn from his re fusal. There could be no imputation *against Sir. A. Wellesley for having undertaken operations which were within the letter of his instructions. He had, however, given an opinion of his own for undertak ing the service so strongly recommended by the Junta of Gallicia. One 'could readily believe, that the Junta of Gallicia would be 'extremely desirous to drive the French out of Portugal, as fiom the situa tion of that province. they must have been -appre hensive of an' attack, in case army could be made from - the side - of Poi tugal, and have had less dread of an attack from another quarter, than some other parts of Spain. As there was one province particu larly open to the enemy on the side of France, be wished to ask a tew questions relative to the com munications which Sir Arthur might have had with the different Authorities- in that country. The following are the Questions and Answers Q. Had Sir A. Wellesley any communication with the Authorities at St. Andero r , or any part of Biscay, as to any advantage which the common cause might have derived from his landing in Spain When at Corunna I 'received a letter from Sir Thomas Dyer, who was employed by his Alajesty:s 14ovtrn-, mem to eptruntinicate wiih the Junta of Oviedo, in Which be informed me, that he had held oet a Pros-, pect to that Junta that tli troops under my eoin maud would be landed in p.sturias; and he also yoepliened that • this earnoinniection had been re ceived by The 'Junta with satisfaction--and he rather `urged metis disembark it St. Andero, that we mig ht attack the,Fteneh c e rp s w hi c h at that time waswas la prissession or that city. I communicated nn snbie 6 t . '?nleng.others„ with the Junta of Gallicial. who, I copceived, were interested in the position °. the .French corps at St. A n d ero , and was Inform ed . -by them , that ' .measures - had bee n . adopted aviiic tl _they thought likely "to be Pfre6toat, to „drive th d French from St. Andero,WhiCh measurer w afterwarhat proved successful. .1 had no communicatwn, , . 41 ever withatiy constitut e d a u t h or ity 'of tiSca3r,. tv ' m c i , province .was not. as J.understOOd, at that tirt: e insurrection .against the French. you any communication with the gP nish Generals, or any suggestion _froth the Junt'q respeetipg the occupation of the passes ef - the PP' renees, with a view to the preventing reinforcement s from being received by the enemy I had nn communications on that subjeet Whether . the inference i s accu rate, that yet- 2 thonght your ,own army suffiCiently strong ao dt:ice the French from Lisbon and th e f or t s o f the Tagt - ''' when you- judged it advisable that Sir Harry 41.1r tard should proceed to cut off th e re t re at of the ene" . ?—A. I did 'consider the force.that marche d ' under my command frOm Layas Sufficieot, to drive *he French from Lisbon and the forts of the Tagns.• Q. What alteration, and - whether any took plac e in thatOpinion,on the arrival' of Sir John Moore A. No alteration whatever, in respeEt to the 0611 i, -capacity of the ar m y -f rom i ts strengt h, to ebt s ' possession of laisbon and the forts of theTazua• Q.. You have stated that yor,could have stipPlm, the Portuguese troops with provisions, had it 13c`,, been for the defealive arrangement of the Corona's". sariat ; did yon think . that the country could h a ' afforded sufficient provisions, provided due tne:7 l 'l had been naed to render ahe resources available A. The country afforded us no provisions, 0-c e Pi beef and wine, and . I believe, from the time When' landed in Portugal to the time when I left the arreP. on the Qoth of September, the troops ,only'received biscuit from the - ships. As I stated in my narrative, a small quantity of bread bad been left behind 1" ; the French at —.--, and a small quantity at mas; and besides this, ; ; fter I had giveri tom mand, when the arntyarrived- in the neigh. l N or hood of TorreiVedrat;'a small quantity of flOnr got, which liac also taeen left by.the French. 4 Y lli I commanded the army, this bread supplied ll consumption of the Portugues e &seeps, about 1 0i in number, who were with, Me; and afterward s believe the . (stticers of the army 'teceiir.eicl baked bread from the Qoußnissariat ; but I an opinion, opinion, up on th e w h o le; t h at no exertion c° T.. I c e ie tt n e tjo a r nd th t a i t ie ar: x y piana M tio y n 'have drawn from Portugal a supply of breed stn. arrangement and distribution of the o o p f i m ni y on,.as stated ti supplies as to the collthion of them. • Vora Notit'a—l.wonkl wish to put another vino Lion, arising• out of the . answer to the last.. .? ef What extent; your opinion . ; could wine and be d n a have been fernished.by the country?—A. - win! letter, ssenta.stobit;ici, beef might . have been' fornished almost at evert ytt y 0 h%ge occupied bythe army; sufficient for one 9.T days consumption. But I have seen the Win g hausted in more than one instance when the am halted more than on e or two days in the sanl e . a . vjr a t and I believe that the'C omm i s eary-12iners' able to supply th e tr oo p s w i t h wine. M . I P n g h . 77 commanded the army there was no want °l i •" bar beef; and'as the carts a the country were' draw n A or bullocks, the draft cattle might been aa'''' - food to the troops ; but without resorting to . n '); source, it would very soo n b e f oun d t h at the of cattle for slaughter was nOtSufficient in P°l;t i ti for a large army ; and, in point of fat, b e '' ° l - I ' e ee quitted'the army, a v er y-l arge p r o p o r t i on , 1 u i. ‘„ e r ;a'; More than half, was f e d on sa l t prov i s i on s, believe the whole army has since been so fO . A 'a j as cattle on which the army under my cominan", fed, supplied under contract by Mr. ArCher an d d , Walsh, all came from the North of •Vohugat, with the exception of ten or twelve head recei.,v7„di Leiria, and' the same .number at Calmas, I 01 ° .. ,; ta recolle& that the country which was the Mop et,'t - - seat of our operations ever supplied the arral• si r Q. The Portuguese General, in his letter to that Hew Dalrymple of the 2d of Sept e mb e r, states' the fort of Leiria had b een on t h e point qt s9rArelli dering to him. Is th a t assert i on co rrect never heard of it'. It could n ot have occur"; _while I had the command; as the fortugueseP-: neral was never near the situation mentioned' a - c ia Q. Did you understand th at ' t h e J un ta of CO' i n was avers e to the landin g o f t h e B r i t i s h faC e • G c Spain ?—A.. I did understand that the Junta of , licia was ou t d es i rous o f h av i ng t h e co - operat i o n 0 ' 1 . 0 1 British army with th e i r ow n t roops , un d e r Ge r !! at Blake. They were not averse to our landi* i f Spain, as they consented to my landing in Vig ° ' a rw found itconvenient, and indeed recommended 10 „ia to land there, as Vigo was the only port which c' - ' - asa afford prote6tion to ou r transports on the Wes t c t o oa d of the Peninsula, exce p t. t h e Tagus. I also un cle ,. r h s , a ay that th`e Junta of Seville and the persons in o a "'„ - ,, ra t in Andalusia had no very great. desire that teen e r. Spencer's corps should co-operate with Cas t° r a, although they , were desirous that General Spenc e il , corps should latad at Port St. Mary's, and e vento'",: i cover General Castanos's retreat, in case be have been defeated by Dupont. I wish to esPt ca _ that this opinion was f orme d f rom my 'comintu'i ticin With the Junta of Gallicia, as far as resV 2 ::j them ; and in these communications they expre' the most anxious d e si re t h at we should carry 011 a lit operations in Portugal, and drive the French out that kingdom, and that, afterwards the British s'o 'y should be the p o int o f conne cti on b et WCCII the nor t h ern and aouthern.annies of Spain. Q. Did you' receive communications of 51.111i ? . 1 1 wishes from the Spanish Generals, and from 1 a-4a % sons in authority in th e o th er parts of. Spain • None. ate' Q. Was the expulsi on o f th e F re nch-fi - orn.P. 7 ‘; . gal essential to the interests of Spin and, ir a; the British troops had l an d e d i n S pa i n , w ithout proc , n a ing to Portugal, mi g h t not J unot ' have einl)l°) coil= considerable portion of the troops ;under mand- against Spain i—A. I considered. the e r : a P test sion of- the French from Portugal as of the g consequence to the Spanish nation ; an d there C‘i he no doubt whatever, that, if the the employment of the disposable force of ich lain in Portugal had been removed, the Frei . apprehensil,,:_f